Abang Abdul Rahman Johari

Abang Johari was born in Limbang on 4 August 1949, to Abang Openg Abang Sapiee and Dayang Masniah Abdul Rahman, who came from Kuching and were both posted in the said town and is the youngest of ten siblings. His father, Abang Openg, traced his ancestry back to Kuching, with Abang Sapiee Abang Omar as his father. Abang Johari's second great-grandfather was Datu Patinggi Haji Abdul Gapor, the former governor of Sarawak preceding James Brooke's era. Moreover, Abang Johari was the fourth-generation descendant of Datu Patinggi Ali and a direct descendant of Raja Jarum.

In 1963, Abang Openg was appointed as the first Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak. He was recognised as one of the local prominent figures active in several Sarawak independence movements.

Abang Johari's education began at Merpati Jepang Primary School, Kuching. He later pursued secondary education at St Thomas's Secondary School starting at form 1 in 1962 till form 5 in 1967; after which he transferred to St. Joseph's Secondary School, Kuching. In 1969, Abang Johari's father died when he was 20 years old.

After finishing school, Abang Johari then worked with Malaysia Airlines as an executive officer. He earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Henley College, Brunel University.

In the early 1970s, Sarawak boasted several active youth organisations, including the Federation of Sarawak Malay Youth Clubs, Sarawak Youth Council, and Bidayuh Youth Club. Leaders from these organisations convened in 1972 and agreed to merge, forming the Sarawak United National Youth Organisation (SABERKAS). During this period, Abang Johari was actively involved in SABERKAS.

At the same time, Abang Johari had aligned himself with Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), a component of the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition at both federal and state levels. His entry into politics occurred in 1977 when, at the age of 27, he was appointed as the youth chief of PBB.

The year 1981 marked a significant turning point in Abang Johari's political career. With the incumbent Member of Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Satok, Abang Abu Bakar Abang Mustapha, resigning from his seat, a by-election was necessitated. Initially reluctant to contest, Abang Johari declined an offer from Abdul Rahman Ya'kub, then Chief Minister, to run for the vacant seat. However, following discussions with his mother who advised him not to dispute the elders, Abang Johari eventually relented and accepted Abdul Rahman's offer. Subsequently, Abang Johari won the Satok seat in the by-election, marking his formal entry into the state legislative assembly.

In 1982, Abang Johari's political trajectory continued to ascend as he was appointed as the principal political secretary to then Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Following his re-election in the 1983 state election, Abang Johari advanced in his political career. A year later, he became the Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Community Development.

After retaining his seat in the 1987 state election, Abang Johari was promoted to a full ministerial position and joined the cabinet under Abdul Taib as the Minister of Industrial Development.

In 2000, he expanded his portfolio, becoming the Minister of Tourism. Despite electoral challenges in 2001, he successfully defended his seat.

In 2004, a cabinet reshuffle led to Abang Johari's appointment as Minister of Housing, a position he held while winning the 2006 state election.

In 2009, he retained his ministerial position while also taking on urbanization responsibilities, becoming the Minister of Housing and Urbanization until 2011.

Abang Johari continued his political journey after winning his seat in the 2011 state election, once again becoming Minister of Tourism under Abdul Taib's leadership.

On 12 February 2014, Abdul Taib announced his resignation as chief minister after approximately 33 years in office. Following this announcement, Abang Johari emerged as a potential candidate to succeed Abdul Taib. Minister of Special Duties Adenan Satem and Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Awang Tengah Ali Hasan were also considered as contenders for the position. Abdul Taib, however, nominated Adenan as his successor to Governor Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Abang Barieng. Consequently, Adenan was appointed as the chief minister and assumed office on 28 February 2014. Despite the leadership transition, Adenan retained the existing cabinet line-up established by his predecessor. He opted to reshuffle the cabinet only after the state election. Notably, Adenan and Abang Johari shared a longstanding connection, having known each other since childhood as they hailed from the same village.

Deputy Chief Minister (2016–2017)

Abang Johari successfully retained his seat following BN's significant victory in the 2016 state election. Adenan promoted Abang Johari to the position of deputy chief minister. In this role, he served alongside Douglas Uggah Embas and James Jemut Masing. Additionally, Abang Johari was entrusted with two cabinet positions: Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and Minister of Housing and Urbanisation.

Just six months after the state election, Adenan died due to a heart attack on 11 January 2017. His death marked the first occurrence of a serving chief minister's demise in Sarawak. In the wake of Adenan's death, Abang Johari's name emerged as a potential successor, given his position as one of the ruling party's deputy presidents, alongside Douglas Uggah Embas and Awang Tengah Ali Hasan. However, out of respect for the mourning period following Adenan's death, the party chose to postpone discussions on selecting his successor. Abang Johari emphasised the impropriety of debating Adenan's successor while the state was mourning his loss. Throughout the week, Adenan's death was mourned by many, and many leaders attended his funeral in Kuching.

Abang Johari assumed office as the successor to Adenan after being appointed by Governor Abdul Taib Mahmud on 13 January 2017. Despite the recent passing of Adenan, Abang Johari took his time in making statements to honour his predecessor, respecting the enduring legacy Adenan left in the hearts of Sarawakians. Following the mourning period, Abang Johari expressed his intention to maintain continuity by retaining much of the previous cabinet lineup from Adenan's administration. In May, nearly five months after taking office, Abang Johari named Awang Tengah Ali Hasan as the deputy chief minister – a post that had been vacant after he was appointed chief minister.

Education

The educational initiatives undertaken by Abang Johari's administration in Sarawak aimed to bolster the education sector through various strategies by enhancing opportunities and standards across the state. One notable aspect of these efforts is the support extended to Chinese private schools, including the commitment to recognise the Unified Examinations Certificate (UEC) and the allocation of financial assistance totaling RM10 million annually.

The government under Abang Johari has adopted a pragmatic approach, recognising the federal government's jurisdiction over education while pursuing strategies to improve educational outcomes within Sarawak. This includes the implementation of an international curriculum, which integrates English alongside Bahasa Melayu to equip students with global competencies. The curriculum draws from the Cambridge syllabus and has facilitated the establishment of five international schools across Sarawak. Scholarships have also been made available to ensure inclusivity and access to quality education for all students.

In 2022, Abang Johari announced plans for free tertiary education in state-owned institutions, aiming for implementation by 2025 or 2026. According to him, this initiative reflects a commitment to equitable access to higher education and underscores the government's dedication to investing in the future of Sarawak's youth. Funding has been allocated for teacher training, particularly focusing on enhancing proficiency in teaching Science and Mathematics in English.

Abang Johari currently holds the position of pro-chancellor at three prominent universities: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Swinburne University of Technology of Sarawak, and University of Technology Sarawak (UTS).

Religious and racial affairs

In March 2017, Abang Johari remained adamant in his opposition to the state's implementation of the hudud law, saying that he had the same views as his predecessor Adenan. According to him, the state government is concerned that the hudud bill's penalties are "discriminatory between Muslims and non-Muslims".

Under Abang Johari's leadership, the state government formed the Other Religious Affairs Unit (UNIFOR) in April 2017 to aid all religions and protect the interests and welfare of Sarawak's non-Muslims. The state government has set aside a particular fund to help other religions with things like house of worship construction, maintenance, and upgrades through UNIFOR. Sarawak is the only state in Malaysia that can channel funds to support other religions, hence the founding of this unit made history. Deputy Chief Minister Douglas Uggah Embas is in charge of UNIFOR.

Abang Johari has always reminded the non-Muslims in Sarawak that they are allowed to use the word "Allah" at any time, saying that "it's not human beings who judge themselves as pious but it is God".

Abang Johari has also consistently prioritised the interests of all races in Sarawak. After many Dayak Cultural Foundation (DCF) development projects and the new building of the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) were approved during his administration, the Wisma Melayu Sarawak building is indicative of the state government's willingness to give amenities to all races.

Land rights

In April 2017, Abang Johari said that the state government would work to ensure that land owned by the Malay community in the state's urban centres remained in the hands of the Malay community and their descendants. In August 2020, Abang Johari announced that the state government acknowledged and defended the people's rights to Native Customary Rights (NCR) Land. The Sarawak Native Customary Rights Land Survey Programme was launched by Abang Johari and consists of two stages: perimeter measuring under Section 6 of the state land code and individual lot measurement under Section 18 of the same code.

BN's loss in GE14

In the 2018 federal election, Barisan Nasional (BN) suffered a crushing defeat, losing a large number of seats. Despite this, BN did not lose at the state level in Sarawak, despite losing a number of parliamentary seats. Following the devastating loss, the coalition's four component parties, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP), and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), all of which operate solely in Sarawak, announced their departure from the coalition on 12 June 2018, led by Abang Johari.

Establishment of GPS

After leaving BN, Abang Johari then formed a new coalition of the four local political parties known as Gabungan Parti Sarawak or abbreviated as GPS, thus becoming its chairman.

The coalition focuses on Sarawak's interests and rights based on the Malaysia Agreement (MA63) and remain an opposition at the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government. On 23 August 2018, Abang Johari announced that GPS has been registered and is awaiting the issuance of the official letter from the Registrar of Societies. The coalition was finally legalised on 19 November 2018.

2020 federal political crisis

Following the 2020 Malaysian political crisis which saw the PH federal government lose its majority in the Dewan Rakyat, GPS entered into an agreement by declaring support for the new government coalition, Perikatan Nasional (PN), led by Muhyiddin Yassin. Abang Johari, however, maintained that the agreement will not see GPS become a member of PN, but will remain as a partner instead for the sake of political stability. Armed with the support of 18 MPs from GPS and several other MPs, Muhyiddin was appointed as the eighth Prime Minister by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

By mid-2021, the political crisis at the federal level had worsened when several MPs from UMNO, one of the components of Barisan Nasional, withdrew support for Muhyiddin. Even so, GPS under Abang Johari remained steadfast in its stance to continue supporting the Muhyiddin-led federal government, saying that "now is not the time for politicking but rather for uniting to face the pandemic crisis".

The political crisis culminated in August 2021 when Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin resigned after losing majority. Following the event, Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was touted and nominated to replace Muhyiddin. GPS has unanimously supported Ismail Sabri, and Ismail Sabri was eventually appointed as the ninth Prime Minister on 20 August 2021.

Healthcare

Abang Johari has outlined plans to enhance healthcare within the state in accordance with the Malaysia Agreement (MA63). He aimed to elevate the standard of healthcare in Sarawak, focusing on improving access to medical services, particularly in rural areas by 2030. To achieve this, he proposed to increase the state's autonomy in healthcare decision-making, allowing the state to tailor solutions to its specific needs. One key initiative involves building more healthcare facilities in remote areas and expanding training programs for medical personnel to address shortages in these regions. A significant aspect of the plan is the establishment of a specialised medical hub in Kota Samarahan, which will centralise critical medical services. Additionally, the construction of infrastructure like the Sarawak Tropical Infectious Disease Research Centre and a cancer centre will address pressing healthcare challenges. Funding for these projects will be facilitated by the Development Bank of Sarawak (DBOS).

COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 officially spread throughout Sarawak in March 2020. In response, Abang Johari announced a two-week stay home order on everyone entering the state as part of measures to prevent the escalation of the disease. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced the implementation the movement control order (MCO). MCO started nationwide including Sarawak from 18 March 2020 and was extended in various stages until June 2021. The federal government then introduced a four-phase National Recovery Plan (NRP) to help the nation emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout, which also includes Sarawak. As of January 2022, Sarawak is now in the last phase of NRP. Sarawak has been praised by Director General of Health Noor Hisham Abdullah and become an example to other states in Malaysia for successfully curbing the spread of COVID-19.

In response to the various impacts of COVID-19, more than RM5.6 billion was spent by the Abang Johari-led state government to implement a few aid packages to help the people affected by COVID-19 known as Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang (BKSS). In almost two years, a total of eight BKSS packages have been announced by the chief minister involving more than 30 initiatives.

In January 2021, a big wave of COVID-19 has hit Sarawak. Abang Johari then has announced that the state will begin a vaccination programme to combat the rise in COVID-19 infections. In February 2021, he received his first dose of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, publicly taking the vaccine on live television. He returned for his second dose in March 2021.

Sarawak has become one of Malaysia's fastest states in terms of vaccinating its citizens, with COVID-19 cases in the state dropping in July 2021. However, with the emergence of the Delta variant, Sarawak saw a significant spike in cases, which peaked in mid-September 2021. Abang Johari then announced that the state government will enhance vaccination, particularly booster doses. Infections in the state have reduced dramatically since early November 2021, following the massive booster doses vaccination. The state's vaccination programme has fully inoculated over 75.2% of the population and 91.7% of adults as of 8 January 2022^[update].

Economic affairs

Abang Johari is well known for his digital economy initiatives and efforts for Sarawak. Shortly after assuming office, he established state's digital economy plan, known as "Sarawak Digital Economy Strategy 2018–2022", with the goal of transforming the state's economy through digital transformation to attain high-income status and become a developed state by 2030.

In this digital economy plan, 47 strategic plans were given in eight economic sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, and smart city. The digital health, e-commerce, and digital government sectors, as well as social sports, arts, and culture, are among the other sectors.

Under Abang Johari's leadership, a regulatory body and multimedia authority for Sarawak, known as Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA), has been established in 2017 to spearhead its digital economy including the development of digital infrastructure, cyber security, talent development, e-commerce, research and development in digital technology, digital innovation and entrepreneurship and digital government in the state.

Development Bank of Sarawak (DBOS) was also established by Abang Johari with the goal of financing infrastructure projects relating to the Internet, transportation systems, renewable energy sector development projects, the oil and gas industry, healthcare, and modern agriculture. It became a new source of funding for state development projects, altering the state government's financial model.

Restoring Sarawak status

According to Abang Johari, the establishment GPS was inspired by the spirit sparked by his predecessor Adenan in fighting for the rights of Sarawak as enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). Abang Johari also vowed to continue the legacy of Adenan's struggle to claim all Sarawak's rights that have been eroded.

In September 2021, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob pledged to look into issues relating to Sarawak including Sabah via the Special Council on MA63, with negotiations being chaired by the prime minister, joined by Abang Johari as Sarawak's chief minister and Hajiji Noor as Sabah's chief minister, as well as eight federal ministers. One month later, the federal government announced a bill to be tabled in the coming Parliament sitting after the Special Council on MA63 agreed to Articles 1(2) and 160(2) of the Federal Constitution to restore Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners to Peninsular Malaysia. The same meeting also saw the council agree to empower both the Sabah and Sarawak governments to issue deep fishing licences as opposed to the federal government currently. The amendments were tabled on 3 November 2021, consisting of four changes, being restoring Sabah and Sarawak as "territories", defining Malaysia Day as the day when Sabah and Sarawak joined and changes to the definition of the Federation, and defining who are natives of Sabah and Sarawak. On 14 December 2021, the proposed amendment was passed in the Parliament unanimously. According to Abang Johari, the approval of the bill is part of the previous efforts of GPS to defend the rights as in MA63 in accordance with the law. He said that the restoration of Sarawak's status in MA63 was a key factor in GPS's victory in the 2021 state election.

Oil and gas rights

In June 2017, Abang Johari announced that Sarawak will establish a state-owned oil and gas exploration company as well as the petroleum company would be 100% owned by the state and will work with PETRONAS on an equal basis. It was eventually formed on 7 August 2017 and known as Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (PETROS). The Sarawak government aimed to have PETROS in operation by the first quarter of 2018 and become an active player in the oil and gas industry by 2020.

In July 2017, the government of Sarawak under Abang Johari sent a legal team to the United Kingdom to search for additional supporting documents regarding the Sarawak's rights in the MA63. Among them are Sarawak (Alteration of Boundaries) Order 1954 by the Queen in Council, which stated that Sarawak boundary covers way beyond the three nautical miles. Four months later, Sarawak has formed a special task force to negotiate with PETRONAS regarding the return of Sarawak oil and gas rights. The state was unwilling to resort to court action to nullify the Territorial Sea Act and PETRONAS dominance on Sarawak waters so as to preserve the good relationship between the federal and state government.

In February 2018, Abang Johari questioned the validity of the 1974 Petroleum Development Act. This was because the Act was passed during the Emergency Proclamation period from 1969 to 2011. The Emergency Proclamation was abolished in 2011. This raises questions that whether the Petroleum Development Act would cease to become effective after 2011. He also stated that the Petroleum Development Act does not exclude laws such as Sarawak Oil Mining Ordinance 1958 which stated that only Sarawak has the right to issue mining licenses for oil production. In April 2018, the chief minister also announced that under Oil Mining Ordinance 1958 and Gas Distribution Ordinance 2016, PETRONAS would need to apply mining license from PETROS to operate in Sarawak waters by July 2018. Abang Johari also said that under the Item 2(c) of the State List, Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution, PETROS is able to exercise its rights on Sarawak waters. PETRONAS had welcomed PETROS into the oil and gas mining scene as long as PETROS acted within the framework of Malaysian Petroleum Development Act, 1974. However, the opposition politicians in Sarawak cast doubts on whether Sarawak has truly regained its oil and gas rights without making any amendments to the existing laws in the country. In April 2018, the opposition coalition, Pakatan Harapan offered a 20% oil royalty deal for Sarawak government if the former wins the federal power in the 2018 general election, however, Sarawak refused to sign it because it has no legal standing.

After the elections, Malaysian federal government changed hands to Pakatan Harapan. On 22 May 2018, PETRONAS responded to Sarawak state attorney-general that it disagrees that PETRONAS need to apply license from PETROS to operate in Sarawak waters. On 4 June 2018, PETRONAS filed a suit in the Federal Court of Malaysia in order to assert its position as the exclusive owner of Malaysian oil resources (including Sarawak) and the 1974 Petroleum Development Act is still valid. On 22 June 2018, the federal court of Malaysia denied PETRONAS application to start legal proceedings against Sarawak because the case is not within the jurisdiction of the federal court. On 10 July 2018, Sarawak state assembly passed the Oil Mining (Amendment) Bill (2018) in order to regulate oil and gas activities in the state. All oil and gas companies operating in Sarawak waters would be given grace period until the end of 2019 to comply with Oil Mining Ordinance (OMO) 1958.

Since 1 January 2019, Sarawak enforced 5% sales on all petroleum products. Initially, PETRONAS was given dateline until end of September 2019 to pay the sales tax. After that, PETRONAS was given until end of October 2019 to pay the sales tax. In September 2019, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad stated that payment of 20% oil royalty is not possible for Sabah and Sarawak because it may compromise financial status of PETRONAS. On 21 November 2019, the Sarawak government filed a suit against PETRONAS for not paying the 5% sales tax.

In February 2020, PETROS took full control of natural gas supply, sales, and distribution network in the state from PETRONAS. In March 2020, high court ruled that Sarawak has the power to impose sales tax on PETRONAS. On 8 May 2020, PETRONAS agreed to pay RM 2 billion in petroleum products sales tax to Sarawak with a condition that the tax will be lowered on a staggered basis in the future. Besides, both parties also agreed that the Petroleum Development Act 1974 is valid with PETRONAS as the sole regulator of oil and gas industry in Malaysia. In October 2020, Sarawak government issued mining leases in Miri and Marudi to PETROS for onshore oil and gas mining. In year 2020, PETROS started to distribute liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to 1,500 business and 2,500 households in Miri and Bintulu. In December 2020, PETROS launched its own brand of LPG gas cylinder.

2021 state election

As the previous state legislative assembly first sat on 7 June 2016, it was originally set to be dissolved automatically on 7 June 2021. However, the 2021 state emergency declaration, preceded by a federal 2021 state of emergency declaration nationwide, arising from the federal political crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, suspended the automatic dissolution of the legislature until the proposed end of the emergency duration on 2 February 2022. On 3 November 2021, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had consented to lift the state of emergency thus the state legislative assembly dissolved automatically and the state election must be held within 60 days after to elect a new state government, and an election called for 18 December.

From Satok to Gedong

The election has seen the nomination of Abang Johari to contest the constituency seat of Gedong after its incumbent decided to not running for re-election. As a result, he had to leave his previous seat in Satok, which he had held for nearly 40 years. According to Abang Johari, he wants to serve in rural areas before he retires.

Aftermath

The election resulted in GPS winning an overwhelming landslide, gaining 76 out of 82 seats and a supermajority over the legislature. With such victory, political observers predict that GPS will continue to wield power in determining which national party will form the federal government after the 15th general election, while opposition parties such as Democratic Action Party (DAP) and People's Justice Party (PKR) will see their influence erode.

After a state constitutional amendment was successfully passed on 15 February 2022, Abang Johari's position as Chief Minister was changed to Premier. The constitutional amendment was published in the Gazette and went into force on 1 March.

Abang Johari married Juma'ani Tuanku Bujang on 26 February 1977. Juma'ani's father, Tuanku Bujang Tuanku Othman was the second Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak. The couple have a son and a daughter; Abang Abdillah Izzarim and Dayang Norjihan.

On 7 March 2022, Abang Johari announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

Honours of Malaysia

•   Malaysia :
  •   Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (PMN) – Tan Sri (2021)
•   Sarawak :
  •   Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (DP) – Datuk Patinggi (2016)
  •   Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (DA) – Datuk Amar (2008)
  •   Knight Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak (PNBS) – Dato Sri (1990)
  •   Companion of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of Sarawak (JBS) (1985)

Honorary degrees

•   Malaysia:
  • Honorary Doctorate in Business and Management from University of Technology Sarawak (2017)
  • Honorary Doctorate in Economic Development Degree from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (2018)
•   Australia:
  • Honorary Doctorate of the University Award from Swinburne University of Technology (2018)